League Championship side Leeds United "reluctantly" allowed Sky Sports' production staff into Elland Road to broadcast Tuesday's Championship match with Derby County live "after a stand-off with club Owner Massimo Cellino threw the match's coverage into doubt," according to Jack de Menezes of the London INDEPENDENT. Just before 3pm, Sky Sports was "allowed into the ground after a stand-off which had lasted over 15 hours, with the club issuing a statement to confirm the U-turn." The club statement said, "The Football League regulations are supposed to be there to protect the integrity of the sporting competition, not to be used as a stick to beat the club on behalf of Sky. Leeds United season ticket holders have had enough of these fixture changes, the players and staff have had enough, and Leeds United Football Club has had enough." Talks between the Football League and Leeds "appeared to be at a stalemate as late as 2:30pm on Tuesday afternoon, less than 6 hours before the match was due to take place, after Cellino refused Sky Sports' production crew entry to the Elland Road stadium to set-up their camera equipment" (INDEPENDENT, 12/29). In London, Jamie Jackson reported Leeds had "faced a range of sanctions from a warning of expulsion from the Football League though the more likely penalty if found guilty of misconduct would have been a fine." The visit of Derby will be the fourth time a Leeds home game has been shown live, and the "10th time in total the club have been broadcast this term." For each home match "the club receive" around £120,000 ($177,820), if on a Sunday, and £100,000 ($148,190) for any other day. There "is bemusement at Sky over Cellino’s stance, given the high amount of finance Leeds receive from the collective agreement the club signed up to." Given that Leeds has "the opportunity to discuss" the televising of its games with the Football League, Cellino could first have "engaged in a dialogue to try and avert the dispute" (GUARDIAN, 12/29). The PA reported Leeds' decision "will be of great relief to both Sky and the league, with the former having a production crew of some 40 people on site ready to work," while the League deployed CEO Shaun Harvey -- the former CEO of Leeds United -- to "search for a resolution." Sky's crew "immediately mobilised, but there is likely to be further fallout for Cellino and the club" (PA, 12/29). In London, Jack Gaughan reported Cellino is "angry at the financial impact a raft of Leeds games live on television is having on the club and thinks the constant rescheduling of games is to the detriment of the squad." Radio Yorkshire claims to have received a text message from Cellino, who said that "it will be the last time Sky are allowed in." The text read, "The damage they done to the club and to the fans, I'm let (sic) them in now, just because we are different from them, but for the season it's the last time." It is the "latest tale involving the enigmatic owner, who has a long-running feud with the Football League" over the amount of times the club is shown on TV. Cellino had "threatened to limit the number of away tickets available to away supporters in protest, but backed down -- as he did on Tuesday afternoon by allowing Sky into Elland Road" (DAILY MAIL, 12/28).
